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Strength of Armed Forces
Topic Started: Aug 31 2010, 05:26 AM (752 Views)
Simon Darkshade
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Nefarious Swashbuckler
Figures in Millions


1939
UK: 0.5
USA: 0.6
USSR: 1.6
Germany: 1.3
Japan: 1.6

1940
UK: 2.3
USA: 0.7
USSR: 4.2
Germany: 5.6
Japan: 1.7

1941
UK: 3.4
USA: 1.9
USSR: 4.2
Germany: 7.2
Japan: 2.4

1942
UK: 4.1
USA: 4.8
USSR: 10.9
Germany: 8.6
Japan: 2.8

1943
UK: 4.8
USA: 11.1
USSR: 11.0
Germany: 9.5
Japan: 3.8

1944
UK: 5.0
USA: 14.8
USSR: 11.2
Germany: 9.1
Japan: 5.3

The salient points to keep in mind are:

- The USA never fully mobilized
- The USSR figures are concentrated in the Army, rather than spread across three services
- German manpower capacity did not significantly increase from 41-44
- The impact of the 1914-1918 war can be seen in British and German numbers in the latter half of the war; fewer children due to a generation of men lost in the previous war
- The British mobilization is one of the higher figures as a proportion of the adult male population, which had consequences - manpower requirements drove rapid demobbing postwar, and conscripts were used in coal mines
- The US mobilization, in terms of what occured, took a good 18-24 months to produce troops for deployment purposes; this coincided with prewar naval construction coming online.
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Simon Darkshade
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Nefarious Swashbuckler
3,778,000 British Army
1,185,000 Royal Air Force (including 125,000 in Bomber Command)
933,000 Royal Navy (including 75,000 Royal Marines)
5,896,000 total

2,500,000 Indian Army
52,500 Royal Indian Air Force
29,000 Royal Indian Navy
2,581,500 total

690,000 Canadian Army
222,500 Royal Canadian Air Force
99,400 Royal Canadian Navy
1,011,900 total

727,200 Australian Army
216,900 Royal Australian Air Force
48,900 Royal Australian Navy
993,000 total

208,000 South African Army
38,000 South African Air Force
4,000 South African Navy
250,000 total

157,000 New Zealand Army
27,000 Royal New Zealand Air Force
5,800 Royal New Zealand Navy
189,800 total
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Simon Darkshade
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Nefarious Swashbuckler
September 1939 British Army

892697 officers and men

224000 Regulars
173700 Reserves
(30 cavalry regiments and 140 infantry battalions)
438100 Territorial Army
20750 Territorial Army Reserve
(29 cavalry regiments, 12 tank regiments and 232 infantry battalions)
34500 conscripts

1918 RAF
27353 officers
263837 men
25000 WRAF

22647 aircraft
103 airships

55 squadrons + 75 training squadrons + 401 aerodromes in Britain
133 squadrons + 15 flights + 270 aerodromes overseas

RAF May 1945:

1.08 million men
199300 aircrew
9200 aircraft
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Simon Darkshade
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Rather than start a new thread, a little example of the productive capacity of pre WW1 Britain:

laid down 09/1909; launched 08/1910; completed 05/1912 HMS Lion (Lion class BC)
laid down 11/1909; launched 08/1910; completed 01/1912 HMS Orion (Orion class BB)
laid down 04/1910; launched 03/1911; completed 03/1912 HMS Monarch (Orion class BB)
laid down 04/1910; launched 02/1911; completed 06/1912 HMS Thunderer (Orion class BB)
laid down 04/1910; launched 05/1911; completed 11/1912 HMS Conqueror (Orion class BB)
laid down 05/1910; launched 04/1911; completed 11/1912 HMS Princess Royal (Lion class BC)
laid down 01/1911; launched 10/1911, completed 11/1912 HMS King George V (King George V class BB)
laid down 01/1911; launched 11/1911; completed 05/1913 HMS Centurion (King George V class BB)
laid down 02/1911; launched 03/1912; completed 03/1913 HMS Ajax (King George V class BB)
laid down 02/1911; launched 09/1912; completed 10/1913 HMS Audacious (King George V class BB)
laid down 03/1911; launched 03/1912; completed 08/1913 HMS Queen Mary (Queen Mary class BC)
laid down for Turkey 08/1911; launched 09/1913; seized by the RN; completed 08/1914 HMS Erin (BB)
laid down for Brazil 09/1911; launched 01/1913; seized by the RN; completed 08/1914 HMS Agincourt (BB)
laid down for Chile 11/1911; launched 11/1913; sold to England 09/1914; completed 09/1915 HMS Canada (BB)
laid down 01/1912; launched 10/1912; completed 03/1914 HMS Iron Duke (Iron Duke class BB)
laid down 01/1912; launched 10/1912; completed 06/1914 HMS Marlborough (Iron Duke class BB)
laid down 05/1912; launched 11/1913; completed 10/1914 HMS Benbow (Iron Duke class BB)
laid down 05/1912; launched 11/1913; completed 11/1914 HMS Emperor Of India (Iron Duke class BB)
laid down 06/1912; launched 12/1913; completed 10/1914 HMS Tiger (Tiger class BC)
laid down 10/1912; launched 10/1913; completed 01/1915 HMS Queen Elizabeth (Queen Elizabeth class BB)
laid down 10/1912; launched 11/1913; completed 03/1915 HMS Warspite (Queen Elizabeth class BB)
laid down 01/1913; launched 11/1914; completed 02/1916 HMS Valiant (Queen Elizabeth class BB)
laid down 02/1913; launched 10/1914; completed 10/1915 HMS Barham (Queen Elizabeth class BB)
laid down 10/1913; launched 04/1915; completed 02/1916 HMS Malaya (Queen Elizabeth class BB)
Cancelled 08/1914 HMS Agincourt (Queen Elizabeth class BB)
laid down 12/1913; launched 05/1915; completed 03/1916 HMS Revenge (Royal Sovereign class BB)
laid down 01/1914; launched 04/1915; completed 05/1916 HMS Royal Sovereign (Royal Sovereign class BB)
laid down 11/1913; launched 09/1916; completed 09/1917 HMS Ramillies (Royal Sovereign class BB)
laid down 11/1913; launched 01/1915; completed 12/1916 HMS Resolution (Royal Sovereign class BB)
laid down 01/1914; launched 11/1914; completed 05/1916 HMS Royal Oak (Royal Sovereign class BB)
Suspended 08/1914, reordered as a light battlecruiser HMS Renown (Royal Sovereign class BB)
Suspended 08/1914, reordered as a light battlecruiser HMS Repulse (Royal Sovereign class BB)
Cancelled 08/1914 HMS Resistance (Royal Sovereign class BB)

25 battleships
4 battlecruisers
4 cancelled
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Basil Fawlty
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Post Tenebras Lux
So 5 BB per year on average.
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Simon Darkshade
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Nefarious Swashbuckler
Yes, approximately. All on comparative peacetime funding, with the capacity to push things further - 'We want eight and we won't wait' was achievable, albeit at cost. Also notable is the short construction time, though none compare to the cases of Dreadnought and Repulse.
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Simon Darkshade
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Royal Artillery in the Second World War

- 700,000 personnel at peak strength

Following 926 regiments formed:

198 Heavy AA Regiments
144 Light AA Regiments
20 Defence Regiments
16 Garrison Regiments
93 Searchlight Regiments
5 Mountain Regiments
90 Coast Regiments
68 Anti-Tank Regiments
10 Light Regiments
163 Field Regiments
16 Royal Horse Artillery Regiments
56 Medium Regiments
25 Heavy Regiments
5 Superheavy Regiments
11 Survey Regiments
6 Maritime Regiments

Not all operational at one time
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Simon Darkshade
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Selected European Air Force Orders of Battle (1st September 1939)

Great Britain

RAF Fighter Command

347 Hawker Hurricane Mk. 1 (16 Squadrons) (including reserves)
187 Supermarine Spitfire Mk. 1 (10 Squadrons) (including reserves)
24 Gloster Gladiator Mk II (2 Squadrons)
63 Blenheim Mk IF (7 Squadrons)

RAF Bomber Command

158 Vickers Wellington (15 Squadrons)
73 Armstrong Whitworth Whitley (5 Squadrons)
169 Handley Page Hampden (10 Squadrons)
168 Bristol Blenheim Mks 1 and IV (12 Squadrons)
340 Fairey Battle (16 Squadrons)

RAF Army Cooperation Command

60 Westland Lysander (5 Squadrons)

RAF Coastal Command

120 Avro Anson (10 Squadrons)
36 Lockheed Hudson (3 Squadrons)
40 Short Sunderland Mk. 1 (4 Squadrons)

France

4 Escadres de Chasse: 225 Morane-Saulnier MS.406
2 Escadres de Chasse: 100 Curtiss Hawk 75A
13 Escadres de Bombardment: 155 Bloch MB.210

Of the remaining 240 bombers in service, most were obsolete types such as the Bloch 200 and Amiot 143

There were also 59 reconnaissance and observation escadres equipped with the Potez 63 and ANF les Mureaux 115/7.

Germany

Luftflotten 2 and 3 (Western Front)

26 Jagdstaffeln: 336 Messerschmitt Bf 109D and 109Es
5 Zerstorergruppe: 180 Messerschmitt Bf 109C/109D and 110s
9 Kampfgruppen: 280 Heinkel He 111s, Dornier Do 17s and Junker Ju 88s
3 Stukagruppen: 100 Junkers Ju 87s

Reserve: 26 Jagdgeschwader; some newly formed and under training

Luftflotten 1 and 4 (Poland) (Approximations)

1,180 fighters
290 Ju 87 Stuka dive bombers,
1,100 bombers
550 transport aircraft
350 reconnaissance aircraft
Edited by Simon Darkshade, Apr 24 2012, 10:43 PM.
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Simon Darkshade
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Nefarious Swashbuckler
Status of Divisions, 1 June 1946

Division Status Remarks
1st Armored Inactive Inactivated 25 April 1946
1st Cavalry Active Japan
1st Infantry Active Germany
2d Armored Active Fort Hood, Texas
2d Infantry Active Fort Lewis, Washington
3d Armored Inactive Inactivated 10 November 1945
3d Infantry Active Germany
4th Armored Active Reorganized as Constabulary
4th Infantry Inactive Inactivated 12 March 1946
5th Armored Inactive Inactivated 11 October 1945
5th Infantry Active Camp Campbell, Kentucky
6th Armored Inactive Inactivated 18 September 1945
6th Infantry Active Korea
7th Armored Inactive Inactivated 9 October 1945
7th Infantry Active Korea
8th Armored Inactive Inactivated 13 November 1945
8th Infantry Inactive Inactivated 20 November 1945
9th Armored Inactive Inactivated 13 October 1945
9th Infantry Active Germany
10th Armored Inactive Inactivated 13 October 1945
10th Mountain Inactive Inactivated 30 November 1945
11th Airborne Active Japan
11th Armored Disbanded Disbanded 31 August 1945
12th Armored Inactive Inactivated 3 December 1945
13th Airborne Inactive Inactivated 25 February 1946
13th Armored Inactive Inactivated 15 November 1945
14th Armored Inactive Inactivated 16 September 1945
16th Armored Inactive Inactivated 15 October 1945
17th Airborne Inactive Inactivated 14 September 1945
20th Armored Inactive Inactivated 2 April 1946
24th Infantry Active Japan
25th Infantry Active Japan
26th Infantry Inactive Inactivated 29 December 1945
27th Infantry Inactive Inactivated 31 December 1945
28th Infantry Inactive Inactivated 13 December 1945
29th Infantry Inactive Inactivated 17 January 1946
30th Infantry Inactive Inactivated 25 November 1945
31st Infantry Inactive Inactivated 21 December 1945
32d Infantry Inactive Inactivated 28 February 1946
33d Infantry Inactive Inactivated 5 February 1946
34th Infantry Inactive Inactivated 3 November 1945
35th Infantry Inactive Inactivated 7 December 1945
36th Infantry Inactive Inactivated 15 December 1945
37th Infantry Inactive Inactivated 18 December 1945
38th Infantry Inactive Inactivated 9 November 1945
40th Infantry Inactive Inactivated 7 April 1946
41st Infantry Inactive Inactivated 31 December 1945
42d Infantry Active Austria
43d Infantry Inactive Inactivated 1 November 1945
44th Infantry Inactive Inactivated 30 November 1945
45th Infantry Inactive Inactivated 7 December 1945
63d Infantry Inactive Inactivated 27 September 1945
65th Infantry Disbanded Disbanded 31 August 1945
66th Infantry Inactive Inactivated 8 November 1945
69th Infantry Inactive Inactivated 18 September 1945
70th Infantry Inactive Inactivated 11 October 1945
71stlnfantry Inactive Inactivated 11 March 1946
75th Infantry Inactive Inactivated 14 November 1945
76th Infantry Disbanded Disbanded 31 August 1945
77th Infantry Inactive Inactivated 15 March 1946
78th Infantry Inactive Inactivated 22 May 1946
79th Infantry Inactive Inactivated 11 December 1945
80th Infantry Inactive Inactivated 4 January 1946
81st Infantry Inactive Inactivated 20 January 1946
82d Airborne Active Fort Bragg, North Carolina
83d Infantry Inactive Inactivated 27 March 1946
84th Infantry Inactive Inactivated 21 January 1946
85th Infantry Disbanded Disbanded 25 August 1945
86th Infantry Active Philippine Islands
87th Infantry Inactive Inactivated 21 September 1945
88th Infantry Active Italy
89th Infantry Inactive Inactivated 17 December 1945
90th Infantry Inactive Inactivated 27 December 1945
91st Infantry Inactive Inactivated 1 December 1945
92d Infantry Inactive Inactivated 15 October 1945
93d Infantry Inactive Inactivated 3 February 1946
94th Infantry Inactive Inactivated 7 February 1946
95th Infantry Inactive Inactivated 15 October 1945
96th Infantry Inactive Inactivated 3 February 1946
97th Infantry Inactive Inactivated 31 March 1946
98th Infantry Inactive Inactivated 16 February 1946
99th Infantry Inactive Inactivated 27 September 1945
100th Infantry Inactive Inactivated 10 January 1946
101st Airborne Inactive Inactivated 30 November 1945
102d Infantry Inactive Inactivated 12 March 1946
103d Infantry Inactive Inactivated 20 September 1945
104th Infantry Inactive Inactivated 20 December 1945
106th Infantry Inactive Inactivated 2 October 1945
Americal Inactive Inactivated 12 December 1945
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Simon Darkshade
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Nefarious Swashbuckler
http://members.tripod.com/~marcin_w/index-2.html

A nice little website with some lesser known WW2 orbats.
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Delta Force

Quote:
 
Yes, approximately. All on comparative peacetime funding, with the capacity to push things further - 'We want eight and we won't wait' was achievable, albeit at cost. Also notable is the short construction time, though none compare to the cases of Dreadnought and Repulse.

That period was the only one in history in which military hardware built one year was completely obsolete the next. I'm not sure if it speaks to British production capacity as much as a Moore's Law situation going on with most technology at the time. Technology eventually started to plateau around the 1920s, so production was probably going to decline sooner or later anyways. Harder to justify massive building programs when your ships are going to serve on the frontlines for twenty years instead of five. I imagine many of the ships built on the tail end of the arms race would have kept serving into the 1940s even without an arms treaty.

Interestingly, a similar Moore's Law situation happened with jet aircraft development after World War II. Jets that were developed early on were obsolete within a few years, but those built on the tail end of things still fly today. I doubt anyone at the time imagined the B-52, A-4, F-4, and F-5 would still be flying, all of them likely well into the 2020s.

Quote:
 
Selected European Air Force Orders of Battle (1st September 1939)

Looks like the bomber mafias were still firmly in charge. I am more surprised by how many fighters there are. Without GCI and CAS, what was the doctrinal role of fighters before radars (I know it was around by 1939)? Were they actually expected to play a role in the next war, or simply reassure the populace during peacetime?
Edited by Delta Force, Dec 24 2013, 08:06 PM.
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Simon Darkshade
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Nefarious Swashbuckler


A nice tidbit:

"Prior to the end of the Cold War, the Army’s force requirements
were daunting. For example, intelligence estimates credited the Soviet
Army with more than two hundred divisions, eighty of which were
manned at more than 50 percent strength and ready for operations with
minimal mobilization and training.

To address this kind of threat, the JCS developed a “Minimum-Risk Force” intended for a “high assurance of success” general war. In 1987, this force required 66 Army divisions:
40 for assignment to the European Command (EUCOM), 10 for the Central Command, 12 for the Pacific Command (PACOM), 2 for the Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), and 2 for defense of the continental United States (CONUS).

Lacking the resources required to provide U.S. troops to all contingencies simultaneously, the Joint Staff reduced force levels to those of a “Planning Force,” which could meet U.S. strategic objectives with “reasonable risk.” Planning Force requirements were
36 Army divisions in 1987: 26 EUCOM, 6 CENTCOM, 2 PACOM, 0
SOUTHCOM, and 2 CONUS.

The Army’s actual “Current Force” for that year was somewhat smaller: 18 active divisions (5 of which had reserve component “round-out” brigades) and 10 Army National Guard
divisions. This “Current Force” obviously accepted increased risk,
especially in lower priority theaters.

Based on risk analysis and political priorities, it apportioned the twenty-eight existing Army divisions to the regional combatant commands as follows: 19 EUCOM, 5 CENTCOM,
2 PACOM, 0 SOUTHCOM, and 2 CONUS."

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Delta Force

I plan on writing some Cold War era timelines and stories and was wondering if anyone knows where I can find information on typical personnel and equipment quantities and types assigned to army and air force units of the NATO and Warsaw Pact nations (brigades vs. divisions, squadrons vs. wings, etc.). I'm also wondering how forces assigned to different services (USAF, USN, perhaps even between nations), commands (Tactical Air Command, Strategic Air Command, Aerospace Defense Command, etc.), and units (electronic warfare, tactical strike, photographic reconnaissance, etc.) would have worked together in an operational context. I've read that such operations were quite complex before the 1980s, and that it only changed due to the failed attempts to rescue the hostages at the Iranian embassy.
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Simon Darkshade
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Nefarious Swashbuckler
For specific numbers, there are some TOEs on fas.org for the US Army, as well as a very accurate unit level NATO orbat of 1989 floating around. Actual manpower strength will prove a bit harder to find.

Prior to the Goldwater-Nichols Act and all that, operations that involved multiple forces were difficult, but possible - Mayaguez, Operation Paul Bunyan and the Lebanon deployment of 1958.
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Delta Force

Are there any good resources on how Vietnam (for example) was managed between the various services and USAF commands? I know about how that's managed today, but what about before Goldwater-Nichols?

Also, what about more ad hoc arrangements within the same service, such as electronic warfare, strike, and air superiority aircraft being used in the same strike package? The EF-111s probably never flew together as a full squadron (perhaps not even as a flight) while escorting strike packages in the Gulf War.
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Simon Darkshade
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Nefarious Swashbuckler
I'll have to dig around on Vietnam; there may be monographs in back issues of Proceedings, the archives of various Air Force colleges and on the Army History website. Broadly, there were divisions along geographical lines, with air support coming from naval task forces in certain zones and the US Marines operating in certain areas as compared to the Army.

Such strike packages started to be used in Vietnam, either as pure USAF strike packages or USN alpha strikes. Coordinated operations that included both USN and USAF strikes did occur, but happened in a separate, timed fashion, with one service going first and the next hitting the target 15 minutes later.
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